Ushuaia, the End (FAWM 2011 #14, Dedicated to “Family On Bikes”)

In June of 2008, the Vogel family set out from as far north as you can get on this continent, heading for as far south as you can get on the next continent.

By bicycle.

By the time they arrive in just a few days their twin sons will hold the world record for traveling the length of the Americas by bicycle.

Read their story, starting with the press release they’ve prepared for the big finish, and listen to a little melody that came into my head as I was reading Nancy’s email a couple days ago. Ushuaia is at the southern end of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina . . . down at the end of the world.

Listen to ‘Ushuaia: The End’

If you click the “listen” link above, you’ll see a “Download” link. Help yourself!

Corner of My Eye (FAWM 2011 #13)

The past two FAWMs I’ve tried my hand at some jazz guitar. This year it almost didn’t happen. I didn’t plan it, at least, but my unconscious decided otherwise.

During most of the 14,000 miles we’ve traveled in the past six months, I’ve driven, with Sue in the passenger seat, just visible out of the corner of my eye. It’s one of the emotional mental images I get when I think about our life.

Listen to ‘Corner of My Eye’

Hey Joel (FAWM 2011 #12)

This one is a collaboration with Oddbod, the performing name of one Tim Conway who lives in Kent, England. I’d wanted to write something with him since he came to FAWM. I’m writing as much as I can about our travels this year, but if you listen to Oddbod’s other music you’ll see I couldn’t just give him my usual lyric.

It’s about travel, just not in the usual manner. He tweaked the verses a little, but didn’t like my chorus at all so he wrote his own, which resulted in the song being called what it’s called. (In case you’re interested, yes, it feels odd singing to yourself in a song, but we both wanted my voice in the background so there I am on the chorus, and also whistling behind the kazoo solo.)

Listen to ‘Hey Joel’

Lyrics:

Hey Joel, its time to leave
We got somewhere else to be
So use your imagination
And you’ll soon be far away

I go to work each day on the london train
sit around ‘until I head back home again
they wouldn’t know If I was never there
And I don’t think they’d care

I hate this 9 to 5 like everyone I know
can’t leave the office but I need somewhere to go
and so I drift, off to another place
A blank look on my face

Hey Joel, its time to leave
This aint where we want to be
My mind is on an jetplane
A thousand miles away

those morning meetings they never seem to end
I used to make an effort now I just pretend
Its hard to pay attention anymore
it’s all become a bore

Hey Joel, its time to leave
We got somewhere else to be
So use your imagination
And you’ll soon be far away

And I watch the clock
But the hands are turning slow
I’m counting down
Until its time to go
To anyplace we know but here

I’ve done a whole week’s work by Monday afternoon
leaves me time to dream or write another tune
A so-called job, it ain’t no job at all
Its staring at the wall

Hey Joel, its time to leave
This ain’t where we want to be
My mind is on an jetplane
A thousand miles away

Just Another Day (FAWM 2011 #11)

Sue wrote this about her father, and I desperately wanted to put it to music. I’d like to nudge a few of the words a bit to make it easier to sing. I was amazed at the chord progression that presented itself as I read the words. I’ve asked around, and the musicologists at FAWM can’t even agree what key it’s in.

Listen to ‘Just Another Day’

Sue’s Liner Notes:

My father (he’s been dead nearly 20 years) was never officially diagnosed with bipolar but all the symptoms were there. The extreme emotions, feeling the depths of despair and then great joy, were challenging to deal with. As I’ve learned more about this disorder and dealt with other’s who have it, I’ve come to understand why my father was the way he was. These lyrics just touch the surface of the many conflicting emotions a person with the disorder and those around them have to deal with on a daily basis.

Joel’s musical notes: as I was reading this, the most complex chord progression I’ve ever created came into my head. I had no idea what it was and no idea where it came from. Discovering the C6 was a bear because I could hear it but I couldn’t find it on the guitar. Switched to piano and it came right out.

My classical guitar is tuned to D instead of E so I had to relearn it on the keyboard to record that part. Fun.

Chords are D Dmaj7 C6 G Bb F C and I have no idea what key it’s in. Must absorb more theory.

Lyrics:

looking down into the reflection
seeing an image without a face
arms reached out and grabbed
pulling in the opposite direction

(chorus)
just another day
drifting along
never quite at peace
just another day

drifting blowing in the breeze
suspended floating away
what’s happening here?
all this turmoil; no peace

Chorus

twirling dancing happy as a clam
flying reaching for the stars
sucked in by a whirling vortex
exploding bursting the dam

Chorus

fireworks sparkle in the sky
joy happiness and despair
when will it end?
another day’s gone by

Letters You Never Read (FAWM 2011 #10)

Terry is becoming quite a lyricist. He shared these with me and let me put them to music.

Listen to ‘Letters You Never Read’

Letters you Never Read

Verse 1
Every day I wrote in the early light
Onto pages my feelings just for you
Kept them tucked away; hidden from view
In a box all tied up with a string

Chorus
A head full of words you never heard
A soul full of feelings you never felt
A heart full of love you never knew
A fist full of letters you never read

Verse 2
When we met that day in the park
My heart saw a far off distant glow
The start of something that could be
Kept it safe by closing the door

Chorus

Verse 3
All the things I wanted to say to you
Float around in my head constantly
I never let them across my lips
A secret kept way down in my soul

Bridge
All these feeling kept locked away
Spilling out onto the page today
All these feeling kept locked away
Spilling out onto the page today

A Light Between the Branches (FAWM 2011 #9)

Especially proud of this one. I conceived the a capella intro two weeks ago, recorded it, and then got nothing for almost two weeks. I didn’t know what the song was supposed to be about, except in broad general terms.

Then, instead of trying to describe the entirety of our travel in Canada, I chose a single moment, one image that’s stuck in my head, of a light between the branches of some aspen trees.

Listen to ‘A Light Between the Branches’

As we’ve traveled I’ve discovered that the wide open spaces of Canada really appeal to me. Where we lived in northern California (and southern, now that I think about it) you could drive for hours, hours, and never leave the city. I mean, you could leave that city, but then you were just in this city, not the country.

This song is a snapshot of a fairly representative moment as we drove the Trans Canada Highway from Toronto, the nation’s largest city, to Ottawa, the national capital. We spent 4 of the five hours in wilderness so beautiful I struggle to describe it. But here are the lyrics where I give it a shot:

A Light Between the Branches

heading north across the border to a land that feels like home
to a place a man can step outside and breathe
fill my lungs with all the songs nature’s singin’ out to me
where there’s room to spread my arms and sing along

there’s a light between the branches in a stand of aspen trees
that lift the stream up to the very sky
it whispers with a voice colored blue and white and gold
of peace for every soul that passes by

sky so wide I cannot see it all
trees of every color as far as eyes can see
listen to the rivers as they call
come lie in my arms and find the peace that means so much to me

there’s a voice across the prairie that’s calling out for me
to find my way out to another land
my soul fills all the spaces that are filling up my heart
with the comfort of a warm and gentle hand

sky so wide I cannot see it all
trees of every color as far as eyes can see
listen to the rivers as they call
come lie in my arms and find the peace that means so much to me

heading north across the border to a land that feels like home
to a place a man can step outside and breathe
fill my lungs with all the songs nature’s singin’ out to me
where there’s room to spread my arms and sing along

Water (FAWM 2011 #6)

The past few years I’ve written a handful of songs with our daughter Rachelle. This year we did something experimental; I just played a chord progression on the guitar and sent it to her, and she just improvised some lyrics over it and sent it back. I decided it needed some harmony so I sang some more.

After I’d recorded the guitar part, I discovered I’d left all kinds of effects turned on; the echo and reverb were set to 11 so it’s, well, a little spacey. Rachelle liked it, so we ran with it and got this:

Listen to ‘Water’

Brand New Starting From Scratch (FAWM 2011 #5)

Finished another song; this on a collaboration with Terry ‘Pegleg’ Wilson. Terry wrote a bass line and then started talking about a time in his life when he was driving from an old life that wasn’t doing him any good to a new job in a new place. Sue took notes as he was talking, and we put most of what he said into the lyrics.

At one point as he was telling the story he paused and said, “It was all about, you know, ” and as he said “brand new start” I said “starting from scratch” and I heard “brand new starting from scratch” and couldn’t get the nonsensical phrase out of my head.

Terry was supposed to do the bridge as a sort of spoken internal monologue but we both forgot.

Listen to ‘Brand New Starting from Scratch’

Lyrics

driving alone through miles and miles of grass
windows are open and the radio is blasting
a hurricane blowing as the phone poles go flying past

good vibrations in the soles of my feet
backpack full of hope beside me on the seat
getting that gig would make a perfect day complete

not running away but I don’t wanna come back
just getting through a rough patch
it might pay off or it might pan out
brand new starting from scratch

what I see in the mirror’s what’s through the windscreen
under the wheels of this muscle machine
but if I have to go back I know it really ain’t the same scene

not running away but I don’t wanna come back
just getting through a rough patch
it might pay off or it might pan out
brand new starting from scratch

I’m not leaving her; we were already strangers
it was just the right time for a change

driving alone down miles of interstate
it’s all in my hands; I don’t believe in fate
I’m gonna make it happen and no one’s gonna make me wait

not running away but I don’t wanna come back
just getting through a rough patch
it might pay off or it might pan out
brand new starting from scratch

3 Week Itch, the Song (FAWM 2011 #4)

Sue thought the last line of that post should be a song, so now it is.

I intentionally made it sound like an old record. First time I’ve recorded a song on the ukulele.

Listen to ‘3 Week Itch’

Lyrics:
I’m a whirling flowing wind that needs to blow.
where we’ll end up I don’t really know
moving right along route 66
how’m I gonna kick this 3-week itch?

it’s a long long way to find out where we’re bound
when we get there, we might just turn around
moving right along route 66
how’m I gonna kick this 3-week itch?

we’ve made lots of friends along the way
and there’s plenty who’d be glad to have us stay
moving right along route 66
how’m I gonna kick this 3-week itch?

stop just long enough to bake that bread
but before long there’s a ringin’ in my head
moving right along route 66
how’m I gonna kick this 3-week itch?

it’ll never be enough to find a home
you know you and I have gotta roam
moving right along route 66
how’m I gonna kick this 3-week itch?